By Sabina Dana Plasse
Photos by Mark Oliver

"I am a constant shopper, which is good and bad," Casey Kelly said with a laugh. But when Kelly, a teacher at Wood River High School, and her husband, Shaun, decided to make over their Ketchum bedroom, she tempered her consumption habits with a dose of resourcefulness.

Kelly is no stranger to rehabilitating dusty old things. In college, she and her sister retrofitted picture frames and repainted dressers. "But I had never redone a bedroom before. I wanted to redo it because I get bored and want a change of space."

A fresh coat of paint was first. The couple chose a warm, sweet red—call it tamarind-chutney—for coziness. Kelly repainted end tables found in her parent’s garage and picked up matching lamps at a consignment store for $50.

She negotiated a deal on a bookshelf at a Burnsie’s Boca garage sale in Warm Springs, and while jogging in West Ketchum, spotted a bench with a sign: "Please take." It was a perfect fit for their loft-style bedroom.

Kelly’s aesthetic could be called bohemian chic. A weathered dresser and funky bench are distinctly downtown, but the combination of Shaun’s modernism (he is an architectural draftsman by day) adds an uptown edge. Since she grew up in the valley, Kelly made shopping locally a priority. She perused the nooks and crannies of Hailey stores such as Bungalow, Vintage Gypsy and The Body Buff and found picture frames at the Ketchum Flower Company. Upgrading their sleep space also meant new digs for Bender, their over-indulged russet retriever; Kelly found a dog bed at Bellissimo in Ketchum. Thrift stores were next. "The Gold Mine in Ketchum is the best place to go," Kelly said. "The things people bring in there are phenomenal." For a final, sunny touch, Kelly added plants, including a Christmas cactus.

Without a designer, Kelly still followed the same simple rules the pros use. "The least expensive item for redecorating is paint," said Fox Creek Interiors owner Susan Seder. "A color scheme, like serene blues, greens and violets, sets a tone and is the most affordable thing to do." Starting with color and then mixing and matching materials and textures defines a room. Simple additions such as bed throws are an easy, but well-appreciated finishing touch.

"The bed is a big deal," said Pat McGinnis, a design consultant with Fox Creek. Kelly picked a new duvet to complete her ruffled-elegance look. The bed is "a great way to redo a room without spending a fortune," McGinnis said. Headboards can be upholstered at home with fabric, foam and a staple gun. Seder suggests making custom duvets and pillow cases with a simple sheet, some favorite fabric and a sewing machine.

From the pros to an ambitious amateur like Kelly, the lesson here lies in creative re-use. "You don’t have to buy new," McGinnis said. As furniture gets bigger and blander, smaller personality pieces are more important than ever. "So many people are reupholstering their grandmother’s chairs for bedrooms. It’s more personal."

Break out the sewing machine for  custom pillowcases and duvets.

Use plants to change the mood of a room.

Raid local antique fairs and yard sales for color and kitsch.

Swap out a lampshade for a whole new look on old lamps.

Needlepoint a pillow for more personal décor.

Peruse the Idaho Mountain Express classifieds—there’s always a deal to be found.